The present invention relates to a liquid treatment for application to concrete or glazed surfaces to reduce the risk of slip and fall accidents. A significant cause of injury to employees in the workplace, customers in commercial establishments and individuals in their own homes is falls resulting from slippery underfoot surfaces. Concrete, ceramic tile, porcelain, enamel and other similar surfaces often can have slippery surfaces and these surfaces they generally become more slippery when wet. The generally recognized criterion for slip resistant floor surfaces is a coefficient of friction of 0.6 obtained in the ASTM C-1028 or D-2047 standardize test. In order to increase the coefficient of friction on concrete, tile or porcelain surfaces (make them less slippery) sand or other abrasive materials may be added to the surface or included in preparation of ceramic tile during formation. Porcelain, such as bath tub surfaces often have adhesive strips of abrasive materials applied to their surfaces.
Even if concrete, tile, enamel or porcelain surfaces, such as bath tubs and shower stalls, are fabricated with so-called non-slip surfaces these surfaces can become extremely slippery when wet from use or cleaning. A popular tile used in commercial food establishments has a coefficient of friction of from about 0.8 to about 0.9 when dry. However, it has been observed that this tile exhibits an unacceptably low coefficient of friction, probably in the range of 0.3 to 0.5 when wet. Porcelain, enamel and cement surface often behave similarly.
Another cause for a low coefficient of friction on presumably non-slip surfaces is the build up of grease, oils, dirt and soap or detergent residues from cleaning compounds which tend to fill the pores in the surface of the material as well as coat a raised abrasive surface. There are several products on the market designed to clean away these surface deposits. In some instances, these treatments further roughen the tile or concrete surface. However, these materials generally require a daily application over an extended period of time to bring about these changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,168 to Holt addresses such a material and compares its action with other prior available materials. While Holt is primarily a cleaning compound, it is disclosed that continuous daily application can be effective in raising the dynamic or kinetic coefficient of friction from 0.6 to about 0.75 to 0.8 after daily application for a period of 45 to 90 days. The Holt formulation for initial treatment consists of from 5.818%.sub.v to 7.273%.sub.v phosphoric acid (H.sub.3 PO.sub.4), 10.182%.sub.v to 12.728%.sub.v hydrofluoric acid (HF) and 0.909%.sub.v to 1.818%.sub.v wetting agent in an aqueous solution. The presence of the wetting agent and its concentration in excess of about 1% is believed to be critical to the oil and grease removal purpose of the Holt composition. For daily application this composition is further diluted by adding at least four parts water to one part of the initial treatment solution. One major deficiency of the Holt formula, as well as each of the other treatments tested by Holt, is that no change in coefficient of friction appears to be seen on initial application and continuous daily treatments are necessary before any increase is seen. This increase is demonstrated only by the Holt formula and a few other acid-based cleaners. None of these materials demonstrate the necessary immediate increase following application thus exposing people to a continued risk of falling while believing that the slip hazard has been eliminated by the treatment. Additionally, the Holt formula is a combination of phosphoric acid and hydrofluoric acid, the HF being present in as much as 12.8%. Hydrofluoric acid in such a high concentration is a very hazardous chemical which can severely burn workers applying the treatment if not properly handled.
Thus, there is a need for a material which can be applied to concrete, glazed tile, enamel and porcelain surfaces which can bring about an immediate as well as a long term increase in the coefficient of friction of these surfaces. Additionally, there is a need for a treatment for these surfaces so that they will have an acceptable slip resistant surface whether that surface is wet or dry. Still further, there is a need for an effective material which does not have high levels of hydrofluoric acid, which is highly toxic and corrosive.